Implications for the Origin of GRB 051103 from LIGO Observations

Authors

J. Abadie, California Institute of Technology
B. P. Abbott, California Institute of Technology
T. D. Abbott, California State University, Fullerton
R. Abbott, California Institute of Technology
M. Abernathy, University of Glasgow
C. Adams, LIGO Livingston
R. Adhikari, California Institute of Technology
C. Affeldt, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
P. Ajith, California Institute of Technology
B. Allen, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
G. S. Allen, Stanford University
E. Amador Ceron, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
D. Amariutei, University of Florida
R. S. Amin, Louisiana State University
S. B. Anderson, California Institute of Technology
W. G. Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
K. Arai, California Institute of Technology
M. A. Arain, University of Florida
M. C. Araya, California Institute of Technology
S. M. Aston, University of Birmingham
D. Atkinson, LIGO Hanford
P. Aufmuth, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
C. Aulbert, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
B. E. Aylott, University of Birmingham
S. Babak, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
P. Baker, Montana State University
S. Ballmer, California Institute of Technology
D. Barker, LIGO Hanford
S. Barnum, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B. Barr, University of Glasgow
P. Barriga, The University of Western Australia
Tiffany Z. Summerscales, Andrews UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-10-2012

Keywords

gamma-ray burst: individual (GRB 051103), gravitational waves, stars: magnetars

Abstract

We present the results of a LIGO search for gravitational waves (GWs) associated with GRB 051103, a short-duration hard-spectrum gamma-ray burst (GRB) whose electromagnetically determined sky position is coincident with the spiral galaxy M81, which is 3.6Mpc from Earth. Possible progenitors for short-hard GRBs include compact object mergers and soft gamma repeater (SGR) giant flares. A merger progenitor would produce a characteristic GW signal that should be detectable at a distance of M81, while GW emission from an SGR is not expected to be detectable at that distance. We found no evidence of a GW signal associated with GRB 051103. Assuming weakly beamed γ-ray emission with a jet semi-angle of 30°, we exclude a binary neutron star merger in M81 as the progenitor with a confidence of 98%. Neutron star-black hole mergers are excluded with >99% confidence. If the event occurred in M81, then our findings support the hypothesis that GRB 051103 was due to an SGR giant flare, making it one of the most distant extragalactic magnetars observed to date. © 2012 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

Journal Title

Astrophysical Journal

Volume

755

Issue

1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/755/1/2

First Department

Physics

Recommended Citation

Abadie, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, T. D.; Abbott, R.; Abernathy, M.; Adams, C.; Adhikari, R.; Affeldt, C.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G. S.; Ceron, E. Amador; Amariutei, D.; Amin, R. S.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Arai, K.; Arain, M. A.; Araya, M. C.; Aston, S. M.; Atkinson, D.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Aylott, B. E.; Babak, S.; Baker, P.; Ballmer, S.; Barker, D.; Barnum, S.; Barr, B.; Barriga, P.; and Summerscales, Tiffany Z., "Implications for the Origin of GRB 051103 from LIGO Observations" (2012). Faculty Publications. 1632.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/pubs/1632

Acknowledgements

Retrieved February 1, 2021 from https://arxiv.org/pdf/1201.4413.pdf